Riyad Mahrez set to join former Arsenal star as transfer agreed

The 35-year-old left the Saudi Pro League club when his contract expired at the end of last season, and has spent the last few months as a free agent while the wait to join a new club goes on.

Mahrez left City in the summer of 2023 to join Al Ahli in a deal worth up to £30million, and is now reportedly expected to join his next club very soon.

Various reports have claimed that Mahrez is set to join Al Shamal SC, a club which currently competes in the first division in Qatar.

It remains to be seen when Mahrez will officially join Al Shamal, or what length of contract the Algerian will sign, with the winger expected to put pen to paper on a long-term deal.

If Mahrez does go on to join Al Shamal, it would see him become teammates with former Arsenal star Pablo Mari, who left the Gunners in the summer of 2023 and completed a move to Al Shamal in the summer.

Mahrez scored 78 goals across 236 appearances for City during a five-year career at the Etihad Stadium, and went on to help the club win 10 major trophies, including three Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy.

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Since leaving City, Mahrez scored 37 times across 122 appearances for Al Ahli, and now looks set to embark on a new challenge three years after his departure from the Etihad.

For City, their own future looks increasingly uncertain following the guilty verdict that was handed by an independent commission this week for financial breaches.

City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges that were brought against them by the Premier League, and confirmed this week that they have officially submitted an appeal against the verdict.